Breast cancer: 'It shakes your faith'

Kristen Hebestreet

Cancer is like a blue minivan, said Carson Boss, a Syracuse man whose wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Once you buy one, you see it everywhere,” he said.

Boss, author of “Your Wife Has Cancer: Now What?,” has written a manual for men who want to support their wives during chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, but need an instruction book. The book is published by Huntsville-based Familius, which specializes in content geared for families.

“It’s uplifting to me to say, ‘You can do this, you can help her through it,’ ” he said.

Most husbands don’t reach out for help, Boss said. They stay in their houses and don’t come out.

“I’d heard the divorce rate goes up in (those) situations due to finances and changes in physical appearance,” Boss said. “I just dedicated myself to, ‘No matter what happens, I’m going to be there for her.’ ”

His wife, Cindy Boss, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 38 years old. She is now 40 and, after 18 months of treatment, has been in remission for a year. Cindy Boss said she is grateful for her family. Her husband acted as a nurse, mastered the ramen noodle and struggled to keep up with the laundry, she said.